I’ll start with my youngest daughter, who, at twenty years old, holds a full time job for our fine city, goes to college and is now moving into a place of her own with her girlfriend. She, at this very young age, is living her life true to herself. (Something so many of us women have taken much longer to do.) She and her girlfriend do not allow the small minds of some to hold them back, they do not give in to judgement or hate, they do not allow the ignorance of some to bully them into living a life that would be anything other than what honors their souls. They are paving the way for all the young women behind them and we could not be prouder!

Next, my oldest daughter is forging her way in life and in business. If the opportunity that she seeks, does not exist, she creates it for herself. She independently moved out at the young age of seventeen to pursue her dreams of attending an esteemed university earning her Master’s degree. She is a force to be reckoned with in the impressive and what could be intimidating city of Boston and leads the way for countless young women through all of the organizations and associations she is a part of, or has created! Bravo!

My mother has lived her whole life as an extremely hard working single mom, and was an advocate for battered women. She bravely gave them a voice when they had none. She stood up for and served victims of domestic violence who had no one to turn to. On behalf of all of those women, thank you!

My best friend who, in addition to raising a wonderful young man on her own, nearly spent the last decade of her life attending college, is about to receive her degree and has recently become a business owner that is quickly becoming prosperous as she embraces her life. Well done!

The list goes on and on, loved ones who are courageously battling mental, emotional and/or physical disabilities while not being defeated by life’s challenges, my cherished friends who have taken on the role as “breadwinner” and are supporting their families, they have not let themselves or their families down! Outstanding!

I SALUTE YOU ALL!

What these women are doing, is empowering themselves and others. They are leading by example, they are being courageous, adventurous and willing to continue laying the groundwork for the rest of us and for all women that follow!

We all have heroic women in our lives, such as the ones I’ve mentioned. Join me in celebrating them, share with us who you are saluting today, is it your mother, daughter, sister, soul sister, or friend?

Let’s celebrate where we’ve come from, where we are and WHERE WE ARE GOING!

We are strong not on our own, but because our “sisters” are strong!

It is what we do best, we hold each other up, we support, love, nurture and today WE HONOR!

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Feeling frenzied on this Gemini Full Moon? You’re not alone. The social energy of Gemini lends itself well to all the parties we may be going to at this time of year, but it doesn’t help much in staying focused and grounded. With all the demands (self-imposed or not) during the holiday season, we could all use a little reminder or instruction on keeping our energy grounded, which will in turn, aid us in better concentration.

Long ago when I was in retail management I was given great advice by a co-manager of mine. I was always going in several directions at once, and had operated that way for so long, that it was my “norm” and I wasn’t even aware of it. My co-manager brought it to my attention and began reminding me to finish or follow through with what I was doing before moving on to the next thing. I know this is not always realistic, but that advice stays with me to this day. When I find myself scattered and frenzied (aka Gemini energy) I hear her voice saying “stop, finish what you’re working on first” so I do, then I move on to the next five things ; )

I truly believe this immediately brings down my anxious energy and actually helps me to accomplish even more!

Ok, what else do I need to get to???

So in honor of this airy Full Moon, I’m offering a quick “mental” grounding exercise by the wonderful Donna Eden. Hopefully you’ll find this helpful in managing your way through the next several weeks.

A Quick “Mental” Grounding Technique

This three-part method can be done mentally in a flash whenever you need it. Memorize it so it is always instantly available. It can also be combined with any of the earlier methods.

Place your feet flat on the ground and take a deep in-breath. As you release this breathe, mentally drop your energy low in your body.

With another deep in-breath, move your energy down governing meridian, from the top of your spine, down your spine, off your tailbone, and into the Earth. You are creating a “grounding wire” to the Earth. Also feel the pull of gravity down through your legs and feet.

As you release your breath, release your thoughts and concerns and release any energy that is not yours down through this grounding wire and through your feet.

With this technique, you consciously align yourself with the force of gravity in pulling your energies down into the force field of the earth. By involving Governing meridian, you are able to instantly move your energies with your mind.

Bring balance to your mind, body and spirit. Namaste

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Everyone has been healthy at one time or another. Maybe you may feel great today, maybe you felt great yesterday, possibly, it has been a long time since you’ve felt healthy and pain-free. Whenever it was, everyone knows how it feels to be healthy. Are you aware, however, of how your body feels when you are healthy? Sounds like a silly question, but think about it. Do you consider that your body is happier when it’s healthy? I’m not talking about our emotions, our natural state is that of being completely healthy and pain free, yet so many people no longer live in that natural state. When we feel good, strong, flexible and so on, our bodies seem to smile and thank us and “behave” even better for us.

We are so busy, especially at this time of year that we probably don’t stop to “check in” with our bodies. Pain, discomfort or illness grabs our attention and slows us down, we become angry and negative with ourselves, but what is really happening, is that our bodies are attempting to grab our attention, our bodies need our love and attention. It is the outer vessel for our soul and it’s purpose, it deserves our attention and love. We need it for the long haul, so how about a quick little manifestation for a healthier and more able body.

Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out, let your whole body relax, close your eyes, drop your shoulders, allow all the tension around your eyes, forehead and mouth to soften, and tell your body how much you truly appreciate it, hug yourself if you want to, tell your body you know it loves to feel healthy and happy and you are willing to give it the attention and love it requires.Even if it hurts, even if you’re busy, even if you don’t mean it. Take five minutes each morning to show your body some love and affirm that you know your body loves to feel healthy and you will work with it to feel the best you can.

This time of year is especially challenging, we put so much stress and strain on our bodies and minds with the frenzied energy that swirls around the holidays. All the shopping, working, cooking, cleaning, hosting friends and family, takes a toll.

You need your body to be on top of it’s game, to go the extra mile, this is not the time to forget about it.

You may find that by taking just five minutes a day to love and appreciate your body, it may actually feel better, stronger or at least more able to keep up with you!

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I haven’t posted an “up close and personal” astrological post in a while, and since I have so many Aquarian friends AND am married to an Aquarian, that seemed my next obvious pick.

This air sign, infamous in its ability to detach, has wonderful, possibly unknown, partnership qualities as well. Once committed, Aquarian’s are all in for the long-haul. However the tricky part, is getting them to that commitment. Yes, they are independent and can be rebellious, but that doesn’t mean they don’t desire being in close personal relationships. They just need your support in re-assuring them their space is still there, even though they are committed to you.

I tease my husband and call him a closet Virgo, I do that because of the appreciation Aquarian’s have for order and organization. Watching the Aquarian operate in their own unruliness or disarray, may surprise you to know that you’re orderliness may be exactly what your Aquarian needs. Sometimes people project energy outward, so that they will draw others into their lives who are opposite, in this case, someone who is organized, is what your Aquarian may need most to feel comfortable in their own energy. Just don’t even try to go overboard with the structure or systematic approach, that may send them running for the hills, hahaha.

I’ve shared a joke with some of you, that teases about the Aquarian’s tube of toothpaste in the bathroom. If you ask the Aquarian where the cap is for the toothpaste they may look at you and ask “this came with a cap”. All joking aside, Aquarian’s can be identified as the one who is most content when attempting to save the world. They see things on a grander scale than most and have a yearning desire to do all they can to preserve the earth, they are our “earth-keepers”.

They recycle, they donate, they organize fundraisers and events for charity.

Where we may see the individual books on a shelf, they see the library, and their thoughts go to “how can we improve the space so it is most efficient for all”. They notice the homeless person, just as you and I do, however, their mind goes to “how can we put an end to homelessness all together”. They understand the need for evolution on a global level and have a yearning to do more. Sometimes to the point that it truly is “painful” to them to feel they are not doing all they can.

Asking an Aquarian to multi-think, unlike multi-task is a challenge. I mean no disrespect to these air signs, after all, the thought process is their default, however, throwing too many things to think about at once, is the surest way to elicit a “dear in the headlights” look from them! They “think” to the beat of their own drum and therefore need things to make sense to them in the way that they process information. When information is presented to them in a way, other than how they understand it, it can become overwhelming. They think “outside the box”, but it takes focused effort when they’re asked to think “inside the box”, and this may cause confusion for an Aquarian.

Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, Abraham Lincoln and Ellen DeGeneres are just a few of the famous faces that represent the Aquarian nature of forward thinking and seeing how change can bring about evolvement on a larger scale. We need our Aquarian’s to be those people that see the bigger picture, that navigate us to a collectively better place, and to be the humanitarians that stand up for us all!

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“Yeah right”, you may be thinking. “How am I supposed to think prosperity when my bank account is in a negative state, or when I don’t have enough money to pay my bills, or too many unexpected and costly things are coming at me.”

This is precisely the time when this type of thinking is needed most.

When someone is in a position of having enough money, they’re not focusing on if they have enough or not, they’re not worrying and putting all their thoughts on how much money they DON’T have. Naturally they’re not thinking like that because they DO have enough, but more importantly is the energy and attention they’re NOT giving to what they DON’T have. People with plenty of money, see something they like and they buy it, they desire going out to dinner or a movie or show and they go. They just do it, without the negative and fearful thoughts, attention and energy fueling it.

How is all of this helping you if you’re not the person with copious amounts of money? It’s NOT helping you, because naturally and unconsciously your focus is on what you DON’T have and this blocks you from receiving exactly what you DO want, need or desire.

I know first hand how it feels to have been or be at poverty level and the last thing I thought about doing was pretend like I had enough money, or any money for that fact. You may even become annoyed reading this and feeling like this is impossible given your current circumstances, I understand your reality is that the money just isn’t there. You may be thinking no matter how hard you concentrate on more money showing up”magically” in your bank account, it’s just not going to happen! But, is doubting it, worrying about, stressing yourself out to the point that you may become ill over it, helping you? Is all that negative thinking helping you to feel better?

When you focus on not having money vs having money, whichfeelsbetter?

I’m encouraging you to do what feels better. Yes, I’m suggesting that you live in denial temporarily, and if you wonder why you would do that, I ask you, is the other way of thinking helping? Do you feel good when you make decisions based on the thoughts of “lack” instead of “prosperity”? Imagine how you would feel if you had unlimited amounts of money, pretty great right? Well, try it then, feel like you have more than enough, is it going to hurt you or anyone else by changing those thoughts that help you feel better? Not likely.

I’m certainly not recommending you go out and spend money that isn’t actually there, I’m suggesting that by behaving and feeling like the money is there, you’ll not only feel better, you’ll free up space to allow the money to come.

It may not happen overnight…or, it may…who can say for sure?

When you find yourself thinking in terms of what you don’t have, when you look at something you wish you could buy and your thoughts and feelings go automatically to “I can’t or I don’t have”, catch yourself and think, “I could, and I will when I’m ready”.

Do this without expectations, having an expectation puts an almost impossible demand on something to happen within a certain time frame, and if it doesn’t happen you’ll quickly go back to negative thinking, and even worse, you’ll be doing so unconsciously, just to validate that you really DON’T have enough!

So, go out there today and believe you do have ample amounts of money, (or any area of your life that your thinking needs an update) “think prosperity, not poverty”,and if that feels better, then keep it up. It’s ok to find yourself falling back into the old patterns of negative fears and thoughts, just turn it around as quickly as possible, and move forward again, ready to recieve the abundance of life!

calendar photo by Louise Hay

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Not everyone is accustomed to being successful, and while it’s true that most of us are afraid of failure, we also fear success because we don’t know how to live successfully. These may not be tools we acquired and therefore it frightens us. What we know is how to struggle, how to need or want, we don’t know how to be comfortable living with success.

We have mastered living scarcely or paycheck to paycheck, it’s familiar to us and although we don’t like it, we are most comfortable with what is familiar. We stay in unhealthy relationships because as negative or harmful as they are, it is what we know and feels familiar, therefore it is what we are “comfortable” with.

It’s time to stop accepting what is comfortable, to stop holding ourselves back or finding ways to self sabotage ourselves because we convince ourselves stepping out of our comfort zone is even more frightening. This contributes to staying right where we are and feeling like a failure for it.

We think we are doing the best we can and in some ways we are, but if we are not valuing and appreciating ourselves, if we are not being our “biggest fan”, then we are not doing the best we can.

Why is believing in ourselves so challenging? This lack of self worth or low self esteem shows up in many ways, such as not asking for more money because we don’t feel worth it. We fool ourselves with all sorts of excuses like they can’t afford to pay me more, the company or business isn’t doing well, and we even think, maybe I’m being greedy. Our ego wants us to believe these lies, but in truth,we are worth it, we are talented and good enough. Yes, in some cases the company you work for may not have the finances available to pay you more, or the clients you are servicing may truly not have the money to pay more, in these circumstances it’s important for you to at least recognize you are worthy of making more money and being successful, and that success is on it’s way. That you are on your way to success.

Being successful means different things to everyone. It may be about money, it may be about being in the best relationship possible, it may be about becoming famous. We have a bar that was set long ago, as children, and our inner children are frightened and influencing us into not raising that bar.

Those limitations that we impose upon ourselves came as a result of not receiving the recognition we required as children in order to grow up confident.

As it states here in the following article:

“Self esteem is shaped not only by the child’s own perceptions and expectations, but by the perceptions and expectations of significant people in his/her life – how he/she is thought of and treated by parents, teachers and friends.”

This article goes on to list these characteristics needed to develop or acquire a healthy self esteem; A sense of security, belonging and purpose. A sense of personal competence and pride, trust, responsibility and contribution. A sense of making real choices and decisions, a sense of self discipline and control, a sense of encouragement, support, and reward. A sense of making mistakes and failure, and a sense of family self esteem.

This is not meant to place the blame on our parents, teachers, or other significant people who were a part of our childhood, it’s meant to be a guiding tool as to how we created or accepted a life of not being as successful as we desire.

Most of us grew up lacking any number of the above, but now we have the power to change it!

First, you must become aware of what is holding you back by looking at that list again and determining what resonates with you the most? What triggers an emotional reaction or a memory that feels uncomfortable? If you become upset with these memories, remind yourself that you are alright, that these are just memories, and even though our bodies cannot discern between being a memory and re-living it again, we are able to remind ourselves that it’s only a thought, a memory, and in turn we can release it. Take a deep breath before moving on.

Now that you’ve brought some feelings up to the surface, and maybe thought of things you hadn’t thought of for a long time, you might be asking yourself, why do I want to focus on things that don’t feel good, things that weren’t right in my life. You aren’t going to focus on these things, you are only becoming aware of them and by doing so, you have already begun the healing step towards creating a more successful life.

This is where it gets a little deeper, if you cannot do the following exercise now, meaning you do not have the time or a quiet space to spend a few minutes, save this and at a later time create space where you can connect with those emotions again.

Take a couple of quiet moments, breathing easily and relaxing. Connect again with the list above, acknowledging that perhaps you did not have a sense of security growing up, maybe you weren’t allowed or did not learn how to make real choices and decisions for yourself, maybe you were expected to make decisions that should not have been put on you. Possibly you did not receive the encouragement and support that you needed in order to believe in yourself or to become confident and proud.

Whatever it is that you feel was lacking, unhealthy or distorted as you grew into adulthood, can now be nurtured and healed!

Give yourselves credit for wherever you are in life at this moment and realize that moving forward, you are already in a better place. All the thoughts and feeling we unconsciously dismiss, stuff down or ignore will continue to surface or fester into something worse. That younger, wounded, “lacking” version of you will heavily influence who you are as an adult, how you feel and treat yourself and others and affect every relationship you are in.

Healing your “inner child” may require much more in depth processing than what you’re practicing today, but you are already closer to leading a healthier, successful life than you were yesterday.

We long to be the best versions of ourselves possible and that prompts us to treat ourselves with extreme love, support and care. It’s imperative to give to ourselves all that we may have or have not received growing up and more.

There are many fortunate adults who experienced a healthy, happy and functional upbringing and may still find themselves in a “less than successful” place in life as adults. This is because they have not fully stepped in to pick up where their parents left off by nurturing themselves, and accepting and supporting themselves completely. In other words, parenting themselves in the abundant and healthy manner in which their parents did.

Regardless of what you grew up with, a healthy support system or not, in order to live successfully, and it’s important to remember, success comes in many forms, you must be your biggest fan, your own cheerleader, you must believe in yourself and be passionate about what you want out of life.

Now you have a better understanding of why you are more comfortable living a life that doesn’t feel supported, or isn’t as fulfilled as you’d like. You can see that it’s because that is what you are familiar with, and familiarity actually gives us a false sense of safety.

Everyone is fearful of leaving a space that provides them with safety, which in turn, is sending out a lot of energy through thought, of not wanting to leave a safe place. I’ll explain that again, contemplating stepping out of your comfort zone doesn’t feel safe, so by focusing on the that fear, you are in turn mistaking opportunities for something that are possibly “unsafe” or risky. Sending all that energy towards not leaving that safe space will create obstacles again and again to keep you from moving forward. These obstacles come in many forms, they might be financial, emotional, actual-such as a job loss, failed relationships and may escalate to physical in the form of pain and dis-ease.

We see the chaos around us yet do not recognize our unconscious need to have that chaos so that we are kept in our unhealthy “safe” space.

Thankfully there are many ways to acquire the tools for living a capable, well rounded, happy and successful life and by doing the exercises you did today, you are already shifting that energy into being comfortable stepping outside your comfort zone and learning how it feels to live a successful life.

Recap:

~Allow the feelings to surface and acknowledge where they came from – without blame or resentment.

~Know that you can give yourself what you need right now through self encouragement, self discipline, and learning to make healthy and responsible decisions.

~Create boundaries from others who do not support your highest self and do not believe in you, as you need to believe in yourself.

~Be courageous and engage how it feels to be successful in whatever your perception of success is.

~You can do this! You are fully capable of living as the best and highest version of you possible! It’s time to take off and live successfully!

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I am trying to understand how people of faith, of peace and higher purpose, wage wars against each other or judge others out of fear. Fear that was embedded in them by listening to other people

I am grateful to have faith, and my faith is in God and Jesus. I understand what is says in the bible, but I trust that we are meant to accept everyone as they are, regardless of race, religion and gender identity, and I do not believe that by accepting everyone, I am going against my God.

God doesn’t judge or EVER hate, why would I?

I know people will want to respond with their personal religions interpretations, and become defensive of their perceptions, but can we truly believe that our God, or Yahweh, or Allah, or whatever you call your source, is not simply a being that is LOVE, ACCEPTANCE AND ALL THINGS GOOD.

Maybe, just maybe, humans were never meant to find the one religion with the “right” interpretation. Perhaps we aren’t here to pit our beliefs against others beliefs.

I think it is possible that we were meant to find a way to love, accept, have compassion for and assist one another on our individual and collective soul journeys; to be the best beings possible. To evolve as a whole, not divided and against.

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About Kimberly

I share my life with my soul mate and our five fabulous young adults.
Together my husband and I own a Holistic Center, and a Real Estate business.
My "me" time is spent writing and reading.
Please see my holistic center website for more information
Learn more here.

Current Favorite Reads

"Waking Up in Winter"
by Cheryl Richardson
"Goodness Abounds"
by Jodi Chapman, Dan Teck and 275 Soulful Contributors
"Ask Your Guides"
by Sonia Choquette
"What the Dead Have Taught Me About Living Well"
by Rebecca Rosen
"The Mystic Cookbook, the secret alchemy to food"
by Denise Linn & Meadow Linn
"Chakras, Seven Keys to Awakening and Healing the Energy Body"
by Anodea Judith
"The Angel Therapy Handbook" by Doreen Virtue
"Worthy." by Nancy Levin
"Awaken The Spirit Within." by Rebecca Rosen
"The Forgetting Time." by Sharon Guskin
"You Are a Badass, How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life." by Jen Sincero
"Memories of Heaven." by Dr.Wayne Dyer and Dee Garnes

Affirmations and Quotes

7/11/18
"Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can"
Arthur Ashe
11/16/17
"Every one of your goals is achievable if you believe in yourself"
Kimberly Brochu
5/20/17
"If you're going to make up a story...Make it a good one!"
Kimberly Brochu
2/217
"I am strong because I have been weak, I am fearless because I have been afraid, I am wise because I have been foolish."
Unknown
10/11/16
"You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind."
Joyce Meyer
9/9/16
"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop"
Mother Teresa
8/25/16
"You'll see it when you believe it"
Wayne Dyer
7/29/16
"I Am Love, I Offer It And Receive It In Abundance."
Kimberly Brochu
7/9/16
"The secret of getting ahead, is getting started."
Mark Twain
6/15/16
"You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream."
C.S. Lewis
5/31/16
"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty."
Winston Churchill
5/22/16
"Stop hating yourself for everything you aren't and start loving yourself for everything you are."
Unknown
5/2/16
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.
Marriane Williamson
4/25/16
"You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say."
F. Scott Fitzgerald
3/29/16
"The Future Belongs To Those Who Believe In The Beauty Of Their Dreams"
Eleanor Roosevelt
3/23/16
"Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I'm Possible."
Audrey Hepburn
3/2/16
"Every circumstance is a chance for you to practice being the person you truly want to be."
Marianne Williamson
2/23/16
"I let go of worries that drain my energy"
unknown
2/10/16
"Don't ruin a good today by thinking about a bad yesterday, let it go."
unknown
2/5/16
"The only thing worse than being blind, is having sight but no vision".
Helen Keller
1/28/16
"Do not be afraid of how the transformation you are going through is changing you, the transformation you are going through is creating you"
Kimberly Brochu
1/21/16
"Today is the future I created yesterday".
Louise Hay

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THE LOTUS

The Lotus rises up and basks in her own beauty. She does not bring shame from the murkiness of which she arose, she does not hold onto the dark muck from below. She rises and only knows the beauty of herself as she shines in the sun.
What will you rise up and show the world?
KB